Mechanism for producing openwork on knitting machines



April 21, 1925.

W. L. HOUSEMAN MECHANISM FOR PRODUCING OPENWQRK ON KNITTING MACHINES Filed May 1, 1924 3 Sheet s $heet "I n In 1| 4 Trams 2x9.

' April 21, 1925. r 1,534,785

W. L. HOUSEMAN MECHANISM FOR PRODUCING OPENWORK ON KNITTIN MACHINES Filed May 1, 1924: 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG 6 FIG .7.

WIT/V5.56. MIKE/V70? ll f/bur l /awcman W- 43W MM ATTORNEYS.

April 21, 1925.

w. L. HOUSEMAN MECHANISM FOR PRODUCING OPENWQRK ON KNITTING MACHINES Filed May 1, 1924 3 sheets sheet 5 x H I210 F/a. l3.

Mrs/W0? B) V fim MM;

WITNESS.

Patented Apr. 21, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILBURL. HOUSEMAN, 0F WILMINGTON,DELAWARE, ASSIGNOR TO STANDARD- TRUMP BROTHERS MACHINE COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A COR- rom'rron or DELAWARE.

MECHANISM FOR PRODUCING OPENWORK 0N KNITTING MACHINES.

Application filed May 1,

I '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, 'Innnn L. I'IOUSE- MAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at \Vihnington,county of New Castle, and State .of Delaware, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Mechanism for Producing Openwork on Knitting Machines, of which the following is a full, clean and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which "form a part of this specification;

The production of open-work effect in hosiery by causing certain needles to draw abnormally long loops is well known. It, is also known to cause the needles to so operate by means of special sinkers or web-holders provided .w-i th stitch-forming elements at different levels. These special sinkers, like the regular sinkers, are mova'ble in and out during the stitch-forming up and down movement of the needles. The extra long I loop formed by being drawn over the higher element of the sinker during one course of knitting is, during the next course, drawn over the lower element. Between these two operations, the long loop is more or less robbed of its yarn, thereby reducing its size and temporarily increasing the size of the loops "of adjacent wales. By drawing the loop, during the second course, over the lower element of the sinker, the loop is again elongated so as to recover the yarn of which it has -been temporarily robbed. The extent to which the loop is again elongated in the second course may be more or less,determined by a shoulder above the surface of lower level which engages the bight of the loop during the inward radial movement of the sinker. The proper location of this shoulder will usually involve an undercutting of the metal of the sinker below the higher surface of the sinker, thereby forming an inwardly projecting nose overlying the lower surface and a throat or recess mulerlying the nose.

Whcn it is desired to discontinue the openwork efi'ect in any particular Wale of the fabric. the special sinker is moved out 'adially beyond its previous outward posi tion and while it is again moved in to cooperate withthe needles in the nextcourse of knitting, it is moved in to a less distance, so that the loop is formed initially on the lower surface, whereby the special sinker 1924. Serial; No. 710,212.

performs the function of a regular sinker. The object of the invention is to provide a special sinker adapted to perform the described functions, but which need not be adjusted radially in order to adapt it to operate as a regular sinker. Another object of the invention is to allow the length of the original loop to be varied as desired without the substitution of special sinkers.

In my invention the foregoing objects are accomplished by tilting the special sinker so as to raise the inner or operative end thereof to adapt it to operate as a special sinker, and to lower the inner or operative end thereof so as to adapt it to operate as a regular sinker. In the first described position of the sinker, the yarn,

.in the inwardly projected position of the sinker, is engaged by the higher stitchforming surface of the sinker, which (due to the upward tilting ofthis end of the sinker) is substantially" above the level of the yarn-engaging surfaces of the regular sinkers, thereby, in the downward movement of the needle, drawing out a loop of extra length. Inthe' second position of the sinker, the yarn, .in the inwardly projected position of the sinker, is engaged, as before, by the higher stitch-forming surface of the sinker. But this higher surface of the sinker (due to the downward tilting of this end of the sinker) is now at or near the level of the yarn-engaging surfaces of the regular sinkers, whereby a loop of normal length is formed. In the first described position of the sinker, the lower surface of the sinker, including the undercut recess described, performs, in" the next course, the function of drawing back into the loop the yarn of which it has been partially robbed. In the second described position of the sinker, the lower surface of the sinker is so far depressed below the level of the yarn-engaging surfaces of the regular sinkcrs that it performs no function.

Erom the foregoing preliminary description it will be understood that the. length of the original loop may be varied. as desired, by tilting up the operative end of the sinker to a variable degree, thereby avoiding the necessity of substituting different sinkersin order to change the lengths of the original loops. It will also be understood that the special sinkers, whether they are operating to effect the formation of open work or of plain knitting, may occupy the same radial position, which radial position may be the same as that of the regular sinkers; the in-and-out movements of all the sinkers being thereby controllable by a cam which may have as close a sliding fit with all the sinkers as may be desired.

Having described the nature of the inven-- tion in a machine of the type illustrated, but.

which might require special adaptation, within the range of mechanical skill, in the application of the invention to other types of machines.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a planview of the head of a circular knitting machine with my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, partly in section.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of a part of the needle cylinder (partly broken away to show the slots in which the sinkers slide, and showingalso the sinker actuating cams and the lever carrying one of the cams).

Fig. 4 is a side view of the said lever and the cam carried thereby.

Fig. 5 is a cross-section through Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a diagram of a small section of web adapted to be knit by a machine embodying my invention.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing typical positions occupied by the regular sinkers and special sinkers embodying my invention.

Fig. 8 is a diagram of a complete stocking with typical open-work effect produced on a machine embodying my invention.

Figs. 9 to 13 inclusive are detail. views of different sinkers in different ositions.

. a is the needle cylinder which, in the type of machine mentioned, is rotatable in the formation of the leg and the body of the foot of the stocking and is oscillatable in the formation of the heel and toe portions. 12 is the non-rotatable cam ring carrying the needle actuating cams (not shown). On the stationary sinker cap ;0 is a cam (l for effecting the hereinbefore described movements of inward projection and outward withdrawal of the sinkers. c are'needles.

a: are the regular sinkers or web holders, and 3 and z the special sinkers or web holders. See particularly Figs. 9 to 13 inelusive.

The regular sinkers a: may be of any preferred construction. In Fig. 9, sinker w is shown as provided, at its inner end, with a yarn engaging top surface 10 partly overhung by a nose 11 to form a recess 12 into which the yarn of the loop is drawn in the movement of inward projection of the sink- Near the opposite, or outer, end the sinker is recessed at 13 to receive the cam (Z (see also Figs. 1, 2 and 3), which acts to withdraw the sinker outward before the formation of'a stitch and to project it inward at the time of formation of the stitch, in

accordance with the usual and well known operation. 1

The special sinkers 3 are positioned in that half of the needle cylinder carrying the needles which knit the front half of the leg and the top half of the foot. This sinker is provided with two yarn-engaging or stitch-forming surfaces, one an upper surface 20 partly overhung by a nose 21 to form a recess 22, the other a lower surface 23, extending inward substantially beyond the upper surface 20 and partly overhung by the metal forming the front part of the upper surface 20, thereby forming a recess 24. In Fig. 10, the yarn-engaging end of sinker 3 has dropped to its lower position. In this position of the sinker, the upper surface 20 of the sinker is about on a level with the yarn-engaging surface 10 of a regular sinker, and therefore a loop of normal length is formed thereon. If all the special sinkers occupy the position shown in Fig.

10, plain knitting occurs throughout the circumference of the fabric. When, however, the yarn-engaging end of sinker g is raised to its higher position, as shown in Fig. 11, the surface 20 of sinker y is substantially above the surfaces 10 of the regular sinkers ac and hence the yarn received on surface 20 is pulled out into an elongated loop. As the needle cylinder continues to rotate, the special sinker y, like any of the regular sinkers, is drawn away from the center of the needle cylinder so that the loop formed on its raised surface 20 slips off the front thereof. When the special sinker 20 is, in the next course of knitting, again projected toward the center of the needle cylinder, the previously formed loop (which in the meantime has lost some of its yarn to adjacent wales) is engaged by the lower surface 23 of the sinkers and drawn into the notch or recess 24, thereby again elongating the loop.

The special sinkers z are positioned in that half of the needle cylinder carrying the needles which knit the rear half of the leg,

the'heel, the lower half of the foot, andthe fore the same reference numbers are applied I thereto.

Bearing in mind the location of sinkers 3 in the front half of the needle cylinder and sinkers 2' in the rear half, it will be understood that, if vertical lines of open-Work are to be. formed in the stocking, it will be desirable'to have such lines extend along both the front and rear of the leg of the stocking and over the top of the foot, as shown in Fig. 8; but it is obviously undesirable to havethe openwork effect injthe heel, toe, or bottom of the foot. Therefore, provision should be made to move the sinkers a away from the position shown in Fig. 12 just before the leg portion of the sto king is completed and to maintain them out. ol

this positiorr'not only during the knitting of the heel and too, but also during the knitting of the foot portion. During the knitting of the foot portion, it is necessary, in order to produce the described fabric, to maintain the sinkers y in thevposition shown in Fig. 11. Therefore, it will be understood that while sinkers 3/ and z-are, during the knitting of the leg, both in position to form' large loops, only the sinkers 3 are maintained in this position during the knitting of the circular web portion or the foot.

Consequently, means must be provided to actuate sinkers 3 and .2 at diiiierent times. This is effected by so differently shaping the outer ends of the sinkers that both sinkers 7 and .2 will be tilted when an actuating'c'ain is moved into one position, while only sinker 1 will be tilted when the actuating cam is moved into another position, while neither of them will be tilted when such actuating cam is moved into'a third position.

It will be observed, by reference to Figs. 10"".13, that the rear or outer end of each sinker a: and y is bevelled upward toward its rear end (at 26) so as to allow it to be rocked or tilted, that sinker 7 has an end projec tion of a certain length, that sinker 2 has an end pro ect1on the front edge of which is in line with the frontedge of PIOJBCMOII :35, and that projection 35 is of substantially less length than projection 25. The actuating earn a may occupy three positions. When in the position shown in Fig. 10, it engages none of the sinkers and therefore a plain'web is knit. In the position shown 'in Figs. 11 and 13, it engages only the sinkers 3 and therefore these sinkers alone are moved into position to form the long loops. In the position shown in Fig. 12, earn e engages both sinkers y and .2, and both sets of special sinkers are moved into position to form the long loops.

The lower edges of the regular sinkers as are not bevel ed at their rear ends and the projertions at their rear ends are not high enough to be actuated by the cam e in any of the positions of such cam.

The cam e is secured to a lever f pivotedat 1 and tending to be retracted by a spring 7i. gagement with the free end of lever Lever 2'- may recede to allow the lever f to move to its outermost position, orit may be moved in part way to move lever f into position to project came into the position shown in Figs. 11 and 13, or it may be moved in a further distance to move lever f into position to project earn 0 into the position shown in Fig. 12.

The lever 11 tends to be held in retracted position by a spring 0 and is movable into operative position by any suitable pattern mechanism, as by a turnable pattern disc k shown in'l igs. 1 and 2. In these figures, the pattern disc is shown provided with a cam having surfaces m and n adapted to tilt the tail of leveri, against the tension of spring 0, into position to move lever f to effect the projection of cam e inward to its half way posltion or to its full inward osition. \Vhen the cam m, it, entirely OVBIIldGS' the tail of lever z, the cam e is returned to its outer position.

In Figs. 3, 4 and 5, is shown in detail a special means for adjustably securing cam e on lever f. Lever f has a depending flange r slotted to allow the extension therethrough of the shanks of screws 8 carried by earn 6. Cam eis fixed in position by lifting it up against the threaded pins 25 (held in position by nuts u) and then tightening screws 8 against flange 1. By adjusting the pins t, the vertical position of cam e may be fixed as desired. Thereby the distance to which the tails of the sinkers are depressed may be accurately predetermined, and thus the lengths of the loops drawn thereon may be likewise predetermined Fig. 6 illustrates, diagrammatically, a line in of open work such as would be produced by means of a sinker 12 or 2 when the front end thereof is elevated as described. Fig. 8 illustrates a stocking containing a number of lines of such. open work. In Fig. 7, in order that the described typical arrangement of special sinkers may be understood at a glance, the regular sinkers as have been arbitrarily indicated by fine radial lines, the special sinkers y by heavy solid lines and the 'special'sinkers 2 by heavy broken lines.

For the sake of presenting the invention in its simplest aspect, I have assumed that the design to he produced comprises a series of vertical stripes of open work extending along the leg of the stocking and alon the top of the foot. It will be understood, 0W- ever, that the invention is not limited to a construction and arrangement of sinkers and actuating mechanism that will produce the particular effect described. Without any change in the sinker-s themselves or in any of the actuating means'therefor except the cam m, n, the latter may be modified to produce designs other than that described. It will One end of a bell crank lever i is in enalso be understood that the invention is not limited to any particular number of special sinkers. nor to sinkers shapedv precisely as illustrated, nor to the specific mechanism shown for imparting to the forward ends of the sinkcrs the described bodily movements of elevation and depression.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a knitting machine, the combination with a needle cylinder and a radially movable sinker having at its forward end yarn-engaging elements at different levels, of means to bodily move the forward end of the sinker vertically into a relatively high position to cause the higher and lower yarn-engaging elements to successively act upon the yarn to effectthe formation of.

relatively long loops, and into a relatively low posit-ion to allow the higher yarn-engaging element to effect the formation of relativelyshort loops.

2-. In a knitting machine, the combination with the needles thereof and a radially movable sinker having at its forward end two yarn-engaging elements at different levels, of means to bodily move the yarnengaging end of the sinker to different vertical positions to cause yarn to engage only one of said elements or to successively engage both of said elements.

3. In a knittin machine, the combination with a needle cy inder and a radially movable sinker having at its forward end a yarnengaging element at a higher level and a more inwardly extending yarn-engaging element at a lower level, of-means to bodily move the forward end of the sinker vertically, whereby the forward end of the sinker may lift to cause said element to cooperate to effect the formation of relatively long loops, or sink to allow the higher element to effect the formation of relatively short loops.

4:. In a knitting machine, the combination with a needle cylinder, regular sinkers having a yarn-engaging element, and a special sinker having two yarn-engaging elements at different levels, of means to bodily move the forward end of the special sinker vertically into position to bring either of its yarn-engaging elements onto approximately the same level as the yarnengaging elements of the regular sinkers; whereby in one position of the special yarn-engaging elements of the sinker the higher element thereof will be positioned to effect the drawing of a long loop and the lower element will be positioned to engage the same loop in a subsequent course, while in-the other position of the special sinker the higher element will effect the drawing of loops substantially corresponding to those drawn by the regular sinkers.

5. In a knitting machine, the combination with a needle cylinder and two radially movable sinkers each having at its forward end a yarn-engaging element at a higher level and a yarn-engaging element at a lower level, of means to effect independent vertical movement of the. sinkers so as to cause both of said sinkers to effect the formation of long loops or short loops or one of them to effect the formation of long loops and the other the formation of short loops.

6. In .a knitting machine, the combination with a needle cylinder and a radially movable sinker having at its forward end a yarn-engaging element at a higher level and a yarn-engaging element at a lower level, said sinker being rockable so as to swing its inner end up and its outer end down and vice versa, of a cam adapted to engage and depress the outer end of the sinker and thereby rock the sinker to lift its inner yarn-engaging end, and means to move said cam into and out of operative position.

7. In a knitting machine, the combination with the needle cylinder and two radially movable sinkers each having at its forward end a yarn-engaging element at a higher level and a yarn-engaging element at a lower level, said sinker-s being rockable to raise or lower their yarn-engaging ends and provided respectively with camengaging members of different lengths, of a cam adapted in one position to engage the cam-engaging member of only one sinker and adapted in a different position to engage the cam-engaging elements of both sinkers, and means to move said cam into said two positions and also into position to escape engagement with the camengaging members of both slnkers.

In testimony of which invention, 1 have hereunto set my hand, at Chicago, on this 19th day of April, 1924:.

lVILBUR L. HOUSEMAN. 

